Early MacBooks eligible for free hard drive replacement

In response to complaints lodged two years ago, Apple has launched a "MacBook …

In response to complaints lodged of failing hard drives lodged two years ago, Apple has launched a “MacBook Repair Extension Program for Hard Drive Issues” that will allow some MacBook owners to receive free hard drive repairs for their computers, or compensation for repairs they undertook themselves. Though the move suggests that the failure rate of the drives is reasonably high, Apple states that they’ve determined only “a very small percentage” of the drives need replacing.

The MacBooks eligible for replacement were sold between May 2006 and December 2007, and display the dreaded folder with a question mark in lieu of a desktop or login screen when the hard drive kicks the bucket. When this happens, customers are instructed to get their computer to a Genius or other authorized service provider, who will swap out the hard drive for free. No data recovery services are being offered, as Apple expects you to back up your data, but if the failures are due to the read/write head problem discovered in November 2007 that causes the head to gouge the disk itself, you’ll have limited returns there anyway.

As far as diagnosis, it appears Apple won’t authorize a swap until the drive actually dies. The company says it's reaching out to customers for whom it has information on record about the faulty drives and replacement program, in case the customers have had to replace the drive themselves in the intervening time. The coverage extends to three years from the date of purchase or until August 15, 2010, whichever is longer.